Device for operating car couplers



Nov. 29, 1927. 1,650,734

' F. w. WOLFF v DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. 24, 1924[rwenior Hank/ W: I VbZff Alforney.

Patented Nov. 29, 1927;

513T ED STATES] l? 1 @me E;

rnAnK W. worn; or rnnnmssus; rnmvsrtvAnigflAssrenon'To UNION METALrecovers'comrenm or onrcneoy rumors- AGORPQBATION"OF"DEEIAWARE1 ZDEViCEFOROPERATINGtCAiBnCOWLERSs hppli cetionyfi led October-24, 1924.SBriaIHNOV-MQGZD.

Thisparticular-iinvention;relateseto' hat ashortchain connecting thecranknrmuto the lock lifter 302E the couplerwhich chainsproved"unsatisfactory and wereresponsible v for atli-ttlecmorethanhalfuofzthe defects for, uncouplingcmechanisms; reported by'theInterstate 1 Commerce Commission. These chains. were defective because]:7 they Were broken;=n1issing, .kinled and either too long iswgenerallyknown. in the art a as a,- rotating type of uncouplingdevicet'orcarcouplers and comprises an op eratingarod revolubly mounted on the carwith brackets .or in any other convenientdnanner; 'Wh-ich rod isusual 1ybent downwardly at the outer end to form ehandle, and isbent outwardlyat itsiinner end to formecrank projecting overztheicou- 1 p ler, whichcrank is operativelyoonnectecl to the coupler lOClC i lifter. ;Thestandard vertical plane coupler has a knuckle pivoted to v the couplerheed. and provided with; a

tail behind Whichthelock is placed The lock lifter vprotrudes throughrend above. the coupler head and is. provided with whorizontelly;positioncd'eye. This lock? lifter; eye is 1 in diemeterend dtsexis isperpendicular to the longitudinal center at, the-car. This size and.positionnhas: beenxdetermi'ned by the American Railroad Association landis standard for the majorityvof couplers now innservicei- -M inventionresides; in thecco nnection :be tween ithe crank of the: operating trodand theeye on the coupler lock-lifter. When the handle; is. raised therod; is revolved I and the crenkhisstherebyi raisedwhich unlocks thecoupler by raising: the lock lifter; f- The 2 coupler moves baclmverdlyflIldrrfOI" {weirdly longitudinallyof; the car i in: bufiing andrClIfiiEt ElIlCl ialso moves side wisea-in= rounding curves, etc,andithe-connection between the coupler and,theopereting rod must perin-it such movements Without theicompo nent .perts becoming disengagedfrom each other or" from either-the coupler i or the op erating rods Itis frequently necessary to uncouple cars: when. they a are coupled it-01 getherandin contectsozthat it islimppssible to: throw-thelmuckle-otveither coupler; To

rod crank and the coupler locklifter; hasna verticallyslidablepconnection" or engagement With :the crank arm; v Formerlytherods had ment the connection. between the: operating or: too short.

One of the objects of this ainventiou :is to provide v a connection:between the rod 2 and the coupler which will eliminate the: defects.o-fEthe old chain and zmeetiall service conditions required lcou'pleriThe connection between the com- ;ponentnperts; and also theirconnect'ions-. to

the operating; rod {and the; coupler tare such that the device" cannot:become 7 kinked.

iEormerlyi lWhBIli -e,;b-rakem ani wanted a small ltOi repair; one ofthe old. connections he ,simply guessed .es to the. amount ot-ccheinrequired and :eppl-ied gitito the car, which -"C0l11lt5 :for; the-nu'1nber10ffitoo long". and too I short: .chai-ns reoorted by thecommission.

Thislis notpossible Within device.

Anotherobpct; is to provide e connection which imayfbe"hooked into@theteye of the 7 coupler: lockelifter with the hooked 1 membersconnected tot-the crank; of the operating rod -1 in; a, IHZIHHQIHWlllQh;:permits itto adapt itself jtofthe-various.service movements of the coupler/ buty'preventseit; from becoming disen- ,geged from-thelocklifterin service.

-Anotherobject ,is tot xoperativcly, connect the connect-or: to. thecrank" arm in suchwa manner. that it retains: the; COHIIGCtOTJmOpBlZ-tively; connected to theccougoler: locki lifter.

rthe-knucklenncl-retained infsu' ch ap' osition; AHOl'Il'IBDObjrGCh ofthe-invention: is to pror vide a device wherein the component-parts areduplrcates, thereiiore; interchangeable;

Duplication; of scourse',

lecture," henclling; accounting, etc. b V

Anothewobject is to obtain n device here in theqcomp orient 1 arts areduplicates so that :they-cennot-ber wrongfully applied to ,theca orlztoteachflotherir r Y 1 v In the drawings: I Fig. 1 shows a portion of arailway car with my invention applied thereon.

Fig. 2 showsone of the component 'members of the device.

Fig. 3 shows a side View of Fig. 2. 4 shows method of applying thedevice to the coupler.

Fig. 5 shows method, ofapplying the de.-

assembled and ap- The connector comprises two preferably duplicate partsshaped-to have an open hook ll'at one end and a shank 12 at the otherend. The upper end of the shank has a lip 14. The configuration istypically shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and is preferably stamped from a flatplate of steel, as shown in Fig. 3. I 1

Two such members-are positioned complementarilytogether and pivotallysecured to each other by rivet 16 (or other'means). The device thusassembled is ready for shipment from point of manufacture and is alsoready for application to the car. 7

-To apply the device to the car it is opened up scissor fashiomas shownin Fig. 4, and the lower hooks 11" inserted through the eye 8 of thelock lifter 6 and then moved opposite'each other to form a closed eye,as shown infFig. 5. The connector is then inserted through theeye 17 {ofthe operating rod crank arm, as shown in Fig. 6, and the rod isthen-rotated about ninety degrees until the relative position of thecrank arm -5 and jconnector is as shown in F igs." 7, 8 and 9, when theapplication is. complete. The width l8 ofthe cranlrarm' eye 17 is only a'little greater than the width 19 of the shank (and less than the width20' in Fig. 5) and it will be noted that the attachment to the locklifter eye 8 will notpermitthe connector to rotate about its verticalaxis. The 'me1nbers are, therefore, operatively connected to theoperating rod'insuch a man- I ner as to retain them in the position ofa' closedeye.

' The-members are provided with shoulders :which limit the downward andupward movement of the operating rod relative :to' the (connectors The.upper lips or' shoulders 14 provi'deameans to raise the connector whenthecrank arm-is raised. Numerousarrange- ."ments would perform thisfunction; thereand its operating rod, said connector comprisinga pair ofeomplementary'members pivotally connected together to move'intoalignment with each other to form a closed eye at one end and tosimultaneously form a shank at the-other end.

2. A connector for-a railway car couple and its operating rod, saidconnector comprising a pair of duplicate complementary members pivotallyconnected together to move" into alignment with each other to form aclosed eye at one end and'to simultaneously form a shank at the otherend. 1

3. In a device for operating a car coupler, the combination ofanoperatingrod, acoupler lock lifter having an eye, and a connectorcomprising a pair of complementary members pivotally connected -togetherto move into alignment with each other to form aclosed eye which eyeengages the eye of the lock lifter, said members operatively connectedto said operating rod so as to retain them in the position of a'closedeye,

4. In a'device for operating a car coupler, the combination of anoperating rod, '21 eou- 'plerlock lifter having an eye,and a connector,said connector comprising a pair of members pivotally connectedtogethento move into alignment with each other toform a closed eye atone end which eye engages said lock lifter eye, and to simultaneouslform a shank' at the other end,'said sh'a slidably and operativelyconnected to said "operating rod so as to retain them in the position ofa closedeye. 5 I Y y 5. In a devicefor operating a car coupler, thecombination of an operating rod, a conpler lock litter, and a connector,said connector comprising a pair of members pivotally connected togetherto move into alignmentwith each] other to form a shank, which shankslidably and operatively engages saidoperating rod, said connector 015-eratively connected to said lock lifter. -6. In a device for operating acar coupler, :the combination of an operating rod, a cou- I pler locklifter, and a connector therebetween, said connector com rising a pair0f members connected together to 'foi'nr a shank,which shank slidablyand operatively engages said operating rod, saidimembers 1 formed so asto limit thevertical movement ofxtheoperating rod relative to the'connector'in either direction. Q 7.111 adevice for operating a carcoupler,

the combination of an operating rod, a coupler lock litter having aneye, and a connector comprising a pair of complementary membersconnected together to form a closed eye, which eye engages the eye ofthe lock lifter, said members operatively connected to said operatingrod so as to retain them in the position of closed eye.

8. In a device for operating a car coupler, the combination of anoperating rod, a coupler lockclit'ter, and a connector therebetween,said connector comprising a pair of members connected together to formIa shank, which shank slidably and operative ly engages said operatingrodfsaid con} nector operatively connected to said lock lifter.

9. Inadevice for operating a car coupler, the combination of anoperating rod, a coupler lock litter'liaving an eye, and a con-v nector,said connector con'iprising a'pair of members connected together to forma closed eye at one end,which eye engages said lock lifter eye and tosimultaneously iorni a shank at the other end, said shank slidably andoperatively connected to said operating rod so as to retainxthem in theposition of a closed eye. e 10. A connector tor a railway car couplerand its operating rod, said connector comthe connector..

ing a shoulder at the base of the shank;

12. connector for a railway car coupler and 1ts operatlng rod, saidconnector comprising apalr oi complementary members connected togetherto form a closed eye at one end and to simultaneously form a shank atthe other end, each of said members having a shoulder at thebase of theshank and a lip at the extremity thereof.

13.In a device for operating a car.cou-

pler, the combination of an operating rod, a

coupler lock litter, and a connectortherebetween, said connectorcomprising a pair of members connected together to form ashank,whiclrshank slidably and operatively engages said operating rod,said members formed so as to limit the upward Vertical movement of theoperating rod relative to FRANK'W. WOLFF.

